Steady rest adjusting means



June 16, 1942. M. A. HOLLENGREEN 2 ,28Y7,620

sTEADY REST ADJUsTING MEANS Filed May 18, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet lv FBT 2 MILBURN A HoLLz-:NGREEN Julie 16, 1942 M. A. HoLLENGREl-:N 2,286,520

STEADY REST ADJUSTING MEANS nncutor M/LauR/v A.HQLLENGREE- Paienied June 16,1942

NETE

STTES TNT STEADY REST ADJUSTNG MEANS Milburn A. Hollengreen, Waynesboro, Pa., as-

signor to Landis Tool Company, Waynesboro,

11 Claims.

My invention relates to steady rests for machine tools, particularly grinding machines.

It s an object of my invention to provide means for automatically adjusting the work engaging surfaces of a steady rest as the work is reduced in size.

It is a further object to provide power means for driving said adjusting means.

A further object is to so control said power means as to prevent distortion of the work.

A further object is to provide means for actuating said adjusting mechanism intermittently.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is an end view of my invention partly in section along line I-I of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a hydraulic diagram.

Figure 3 is another form of my invention showing motor driven cams for operating ratchet mechanisms which in turn adjust the work engaging elements of the steady rest.

Most grinding machine operators will agree that the most satisfactory method of adjusting the steady rest during a grinding operation is by means of a hand operated screw connected to the work engaging shoe. The reason for this is that the operator can feel through the screw when the work engaging shoe is in contact with the work piece, and by his sense of touch can tell just the right amount of pressure to exert on the screw. Numerous attempts have been made f* to duplicate this method of adjusting the back rest screw mechanically. Practically all of these methods required the use of a weight supported on an arm, which in turn was attached either directly to the steady rest shoe, to a cam which in turn was connected to the steady rest shoe, or to the adjusting screw. lThe disadvantage of this type of adjustment lay in the fact that it was impossible to maintain a uniform pressure on the work engaging shoe. was that when the weight moved from its top position to bottom position, the lever arm thru which the weight acted was continually changing in length, and thus the force exerted thru the screw or cam to the steady rest shoe likewise changed. Applicant has overcome these disadvantages by using a motor to apply the necessary power to turn the steady rest screws. It is necessary that this power be sufcient to hold the steady rest screw in contact with the work, but the pressure exerted on the work should not be suicient to distort it. The power exerted on the screw must also be sufcient to overcome the starting friction in the thread. In order t accomplish this, applicant decided to apply the The reason for this power in the form of impulses. A small amount of power applied in this manner would be suflicient to overcome the starting friction in the thread, and at the same time it would not be great enough to distort the work.

Numeral I0, Figure 1, indicates the frame of a steady rest, clamped to the table II of agrinding machine by means of a clamping bolt I2 and supporting a work piece I3; The work engaging element consists of two hardened shoes I4 and I5 respectively. Shoe I4 is rigidly attached to a sliding member I6 in the frame It] by means of a screw or screws Il. Work engaging element I is rigidly attached to a member I8 by means of a screw or screws I9. Member I8 is pivotally attached to the frame Il! by means of a stub shaft 2t). The sliding member I6 is urged in a direction away from the work by means of a spring 2|, one end of which is attached to a cap member 22, the other end of which is secured in a bore 23 in one end of member I6. Member I6 has a number of rack teeth 24 formed thereon for engaging an idler pinion 25 rotatably mounted on a shaft 25. Said pinion engages rack teeth 21 of another sliding member 23. Said member 28 is mounted in a bore 29 on frame Iii. Member 23 is hollow andinternally threaded for a portion of its length to receive the correspondingly threaded portion 3l) of a rod 3l. One end of said rod extends through member 28 to the bottom of the bore 29 where it bears against a ball 2S instead of against the bottom of the bore thus reducing the force necessary to rotate said rod. The otherend of said rod extends through i. a sleeve 32 supported on bushings 33 and 3d in bore 29. A shoulder 32' on sleeve 32 holds said sleeve and the rod 3| against axial movement out of the bore.A Said sleeve and said rod extend beyond the limit of frame IU and a knob 35 is mounted on said extended portion. Said knob is secured to the rod 3I by means of a pin 36, and is secured to sleeve 32 by means cfa pin 3l. The pivoted member I8 has a tail piece 38 extended toward the lower portion of frame III.' A rod 39 protruding from the frame at their point serves to move member I8 about a stub shaft 2B in a counterclockwise direction and thereby urges the element I5 into engagement with the work piece I3. An intermediate portion i8 of said rod 39 is threaded for axial adjustment in a sleeve 4I. Said sleeve is held against rotation in a bore 42 in the lower portion of frame Iil by means of a pin 43. The other end of said rod passes through a sleeve i4 and both said sleeve and said rod extend beyond the frame I). A knob 45 is attached to said rod by means of a pin 46 and to said sleeve by means of a pin 41. Said sleeve is rotatably supported in said bore by bushings 48 and 49. A shoulder 44' bears against bushing 48 and prevents endwise movement of the rod out of the bore.

In Figure 2 is shown a sectional front elevation taken along the line 2 2 of Figure 1. This view is shown in conjunction with a diagram of the hydraulic system. Gear teeth 50 engage a rack 52 which is a piston rod for piston 53. This piston is slidably supported in a cylinder 54. A hood 55 on the opposite side 0f frame I0 from cylinder 54 receives the rack 52 as it passes beyond said frame and protects it against dirt and moisture. A drain passage 56 in said portion permits the escape of any oil which might collect therein. Associated with the rod 39 is a set of elements identical with those used in connection with the rack 21 and consisting of a cylinder 60, a piston 6|, a rack 62 and a hood 63 with a drain passage 64. The arrangement of these parts with relation to gear teeth is just the reverse of the arrangement of the corresponding parts mentioned above in relation to gear teeth A Fluid under pressure for the operation of my device is supplied by pump 10 through a pressure line 1| from which it is distributed through two lines 12 and 13 to a valve 14; Each of the lines 12: and 13 contain a pressure reducing valve 15 and 16 respectively. A relief valve 11 which may be adjusted,` determines the maximum pressure on the system. Valve 14 is actuated in one direction by double lobe cam 18 driven thru a suitable reduction gearing 19 by a motor 80. Said valve is actuated in the opposite direction by means of a spring 8|. Fluid under pressure is distributed from said valve 14 through lines 82 and 83 to a reversing valve 84 and lines 85 and 86 to the head end of cylinders 54 and 60 respectively. A branch line 81 leads from line 82 to the rod end of cylinder 60. A branch line 88 leads j from line 83 to the rod end of cylinder 54. Each of the valves and 16 may be adjusted independently to take care of any variation in pressure requirements in the two cylinders 54 and With the valve 84 in the position shown, both sides of each of the cylinders 60 and 54 are supplied with fluid under pressure simultaneously. However, the effective area of the two sides of the pistons is such that the pressure eX- erted on the rod end of the pistons merely acts as a damper. When valve 84 is shifted to the oppositeV position the lines 816 and 85 are con- 4 nected to exhaust passages 90 and 9| respeclthis case the threads are left hand. An arm |02 mounted to rotate freely about rod 3| is held in contact with a cam |03 by means of a spring |04. VSpring |04 is mounted on a threaded mem- '-ber |05 which in turn is pivotally attached to arm |02, the other end of said threaded member is 4supported for sliding movement in a lug |06.

One end of spring |04 rests against the lug |06 and the other end against a nut |01.

Tension on spring |04 may be adjusted by means of a -knurled nut |08 and such adjustment may be maintained by means of a knurled lock nut |09. A pawl I I0 pivotally mounted on arm |02 is held in contact with ratchet teeth |0I by means of a spring III. Spring III, as well as a second spring |I2, are attached to lug |06 by means of a screw I|3. The free end of spring |I2 is set to engage ratchet teeth |0I and to prevent reverse movement of the ratchet wheel |00. Another spring ||4 is firmly secured to the arm |02 and engages a cam shaped appendage I I5 of the pawl I0. This spring serves to hold the pawl either in or out of operative position. Cam |03 is driven through a suitable reduction unit |I6 by a motor I I 1. Said cam also functions through an arm |02', a pawl IIO and a ratchet wheel |00', for rotating threaded rod 39 whereby to move .work engaging shoe I5 into engagement with work piece I3.

Operation In the operation of my device, assuming that pump 10 and motor 80 have been started, and with valve 84 in the position shown, fluid under pressure is directed to pressure line 1|, valves 15 and 16 and lines 12 and 13 to the reciprocating valve 14. Because of the action of said valve in response to cam 18 and spring 8|, said fluid under pressure is directed' intermittently into lines 82 and 83 leading to valve 84. With valve 84 in the position shown, said fluid under pressure is directed thru the lines 85 and 86 simultaneously to the head end of the cylinders 54 and 60 respectively. Said uid under pressure is directed from line 82 thru a branch line 81 to the rod end of cylinder 60, and from line 83 thru a branch line 88 to the rod end of cylinder 54. However, because of the difference in the area of the two sides of the pistons 53 and 6I, the fluid under pressure directed to'the rod end has only the effect of steadying the movement of the piston. Piston 53 moves to the left in Figure 2 and thru rack 52 rotates gear 50 and rod 3| in a clockwise direction. The threaded portion 30 of said rod acting in the threaded portion of the member 28, causes said member along with the rack teeth thereon to move to the left in Figure 1. Said rack in engagement with pinion 25 causes the movement thereof in a clockwise direction. This movement is transmitted thru the rack teeth 24 on member I6, and urges said member against the action of spring 2| to move toward the right in Figure l. The work engaging member or shoe I4 being mounted on the sliding member I6 is urged into contact with the Work I3. Piston 6| is moved to the right in Figure 2 under the impulses of the fluid under pressure toward the line 86. This movement of piston 6| is effective thru rack 62 to turn gear 5| and rod 39 in a clockwise direction. The threaded portion 40 of said rod 39 rotating in sleeve 4| causes said rod to move to the right in Figure 1 against tail portion 38 of pivoted member I8. Said pivoted member I8 rotates in a counter-clockwise direction and the work engaging shoe I5 mounted thereon is moved in a substantially vertical direction into contact with the work piece I3.

The reason for providing a pulsating supply of fluid under pressure to the cylinders 54 and is that the force required to overcome the starting friction in the threaded portions 30 and 40 is more than enough to hold the work engaging shoes I4 and I5 in contact with the work. In fact it is great enough to cause a slight distortion of the work. A pulsating supply of uid has the effect of the greater pressure so far as overcoming the starting friction of the screw is concerned, and at the same time it exerts only suflicient pressure on the work engaging shoes to hold said shoes in contact with the work. Because of the diiTerence in mechanical structure of the mechanisms for moving the two shoes I4 and I5, a different pressure might be required for the operation of each, and for this reason the reducing valves 'I5 and 'I6 are used. These valves may be set independently for any desired pressure.

When it is desired to move the work engaging shoes I4 and I5 away from the work, the valve 84 is shifted manually to the left in Figure 2 by means of knob 92, and lines 85 and 85 are connected to exhaust lines 9| and 90 respectively. Under these conditions the uid supplied to the rod ends of the cylinders thru lines 88 and 87 is sufficient to move piston 53 to the right and piston 6| to the left in Figure 2, thus rotating L.

the rods 3| and 39 in a counterclockwise direction and permitting sliding member I6 and shoe I4 to be withdrawn by spring 2|, while pivoted member I8 and shoe I5 drop away under the influence of gravity.

If for any reason uid under pressure is not available, the supply fails, or it is desired to operate the rest by hand, manual operation may be accomplished by means of the knob 35 on rod 3| and knob 45 on rod 39.

In the form in which my invention is shown in Figure 3 the motor driven cam m3 rotates arm |32 in a clockwise direction to position the pawl I I for each feed impulse. During this movement of arm |02, the ratchet I @il is prevented from moving in the same direction as the arm by the spring I I 2 which engages the teeth I EBI and holds said ratchet wheel against rotation. During this movement of arm H32 spring |54 is compressed between nut I Ii! and lug |05. As soon as arm m2 is released by cam |93 the spring HB4 expands and shifts said arm in a counter-clockwise direction carrying with it pawl I I0 which is held in contact with the ratchet teeth IGI by means of spring III, thus rotating the ratchet wheel and the rod 3| in a counter-clockwise direction. The effect of rotating rod 3| has been described above. A similar mechanism is applied to the rotation of rod 3S. The force exerted by spring H34 is just sufficient to hold the work engaging shoes in contact with the work, but it must be supplied in the form of an impulse in order to overcome the starting friction in the working parts.

I claim:

l. A steady rest for a grinding machine including a frame, a work engaging member movably mounted in said frame, a screw for adjusting said work engaging member toward a work piece, power means for yieldingly rotating said screw, and means including a motor and devices actuated thereby for supplying power to said screw rotating means in the form of impulses.

2. A steady rest for a grinding machine including a frame, a work engaging member movably mounted in said frame, means for adjusting said work engaging member toward or away from a work piece including a screw, power means for rotating said screw intermittently, and resilient means between said power means and said screw to limit the force exerted by said power means to an amount just sulicient to maintain contact between the work engaging element or shoe and the work piece.

3. A steady rest for a grinding machine comprising a frame, a work engaging member movably mounted in said frame, a screw for adjusting said work engaging member toward or away from a work piece, power means for rotating said screw, means for supplying power to said screw rotating means in the form of impulses including a control element, and means for actuating said control element intermittently.

4. A steady rest for a grinding machine including a frame, a work engaging member movably mounted in said frame, means for adjusting said work engaging member toward or away from a work piece including a screw, power means for rotating said screw including a pawl and ratchet mechanism, a cam for shifting said pawl in one direction, and resilient means for shifting said pawl to engage and rotate said ratchet.

5. A steady rest for a grinding machine including a plurality of work engaging members, mechanisms including screws for adjusting each of said work engaging members toward and from the work piece, separate power means for rotating each of said screws independently one of the other, and control means for actuating each of said power means intermittently.

6. A steady rest for a grinding machine including a plurality of work engaging members, mechanisms for adjusting each of said work engaging members toward and from the work piece, separate power means for actuating each of said adjusting means independently one of the other, means for actuating said power means intermittently, and independent means for varying the amount of power applied to each of said adjusting mechanisms.

'7. A steady rest for a grinding machine comprising a plurality of work engaging members movable toward and from a work piece, mechanisms for adjusting each of said work engaging members toward and from the work piece, separate power means for actuating each of said adjusting means independently one of the other including a piston and cylinder, a supply of fluid under pressure for moving said piston, means for controlling said supply of iiuid under pressure whereby said adjusting means will be subjected to a series of power inpulses, and means for adjusting independently the pressure of the fluid supplied to each of said cylinders.

8. A steady rest for a grinding machine comprising a plurality of work engaging members movable toward and from a work piece, mechanism for moving each of said work engaging members toward and from the work piece including adjusting screws, power means for rotating each of said adjusting screws independently one of the other including a motor, a supply of fluid under pressure for actuating said motor, and means for controlling said supply of fluid under pressure whereby said adjusting screws will be subjected to a series of power impulses.

9. A steady rest for a grinding machine comprising a work engaging member movable toward and from a work piece, mechanism for moving said work engaging member including an adjusting screw, self-contained power means for yieldingly rotating said adjusting screw as the diameter of the work changes, including a motor, and means for ccntroling said power means whereby said adjusting screw will be subjected to a series of power impulses.

l0. A steady rest for a grinding machine comprising a work engaging member movable toward and from a work piece, mechanism for moving said work engaging member including an adjustmoving said work engaging member including an adjusting device, power means for actuating said adjusting device including a motor, and means for controlling said power means whereby said adjusting device will be subjected to a series of power impulses for actuating same as the diameter of the work changes.

MILBURN A. HOLLENGREEN` 

